Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Yesterday as the kids took their final exams I started to pick up my (teacher) desk and get curriculum put away.. it felt so good to close down the shop.

Tonight we have our last co-op class of the year. Then I will scoot out to the closing ceremonies for Girl Scouts.

This weekend is the piano recital and then the swim season begins on Monday.

My favorite time of year!

What plans do I have for the summer.

Well, I plan to spend a good chunk of time in my office/studio. My friend Becky and I are planning a Christmas in JulyJune sale. I have a ton of stuff I have made, and placed on a shelf. Crochet, fabric, jewelry, painting...its all going up for sale. And Becky, an amazing crafter and sewer (who is a lot more humble than I, and doesn't brag about her craftiness) will also be pawning her wares.

We plan to make it Open House style...with coffee, tea and cupcakes.

More details to come!

I would also really like to finish the quilt I started, as well as the afghan. Both are for my room. Both are at the halfway mark. I have a feeling the afghan may be a fall project. It's a little too cozy to sit under all that yarn right now.

While I am talking about blankets, I think I may have an obsession. I found this chenille blanket at an antique shop a couple weeks ago.

It's amazing. Beautiful. Nearly perfect.

I have no idea what to do with it.

Any ideas?

The Mister said it looks like an old-lady blanket... but I love it. I think....

Monday, May 16, 2011

We met at a retreat center that was amazingly peaceful, even in the middle of a huge thunder storm that rolled through at the end of the day.

It was torrential, this storm, and it came on quickly.

It reminded me of the time I lived in Texas.

Springtime in Texas is wonderful and unpredictable.

I guess you could say its wonderfully-unpredictable.

I remember with clarity the time I drove down I-30 headed home from a friends house. Along each side of the highway were large patches of wild Bluebonnets. Some of the best bonnets I have ever seen. They were tall and lush; so thick the ground looked as if an artist had taken his finest brush, his prettiest shade of purpley-blue, and painted his finest work ever.

It was spectacular.

In contrast, as I looked at my rearview mirror the sky was a mass of dark, heavy clouds. There was a storm brewin', and it was headed our way. I turned on the radio and the voice through the speakers advised of a tornado warning - conditions were ripe...'get somewhere safe, and take warning from the sirens'.

I hurried home with my two small children, praying the entire way. It occurred to me that the conditions perfect for painting the highways purple are the same conditions that turn the sky to black: a cool morning, a warm afternoon, a little humidity, a bit of wind.

Bluebonnets and Tornados.

...they both come in the spring.

In Texas, they almost always come together.

Last week, as I drove the highway of life, I saw splashes of color that made my heart sing, and I watched as friends dealt with storms that came upon them without warning - changing life as they've always known it to be.

I'm praying for them, for myself, to cling to God in times both good and bad, because He holds us in His hand.

Monday, May 09, 2011

It had been a while since our little family of four had had some time together.

No phone. No TV. Just us chickens, and 72 hours of togetherness.

We were long overdue.

Thursday morning we threw the kids in the car and headed to Mt. Airy, or Mayberry if you will, to visit the home of Andy Griffith.

As you can see in the picture above we immediately took our kids to the Mayberry jail - to show them what would happen should they choose a life of crime.

Unfortunately, the plan backfired....

...they cuffed me...

...and threw me in the slammer. Happy Mother's Day!

Just down the street from the old Mayberry Jail is an emporium and antique mall.

My kids L-O-V-E antique malls. Which is sort of funny, but it works for us. Last year at this time we took them to an amusement park and they both said they liked it but probably wouldn't want to go back. Which is just as well. Antique stores are cheaper...usually.

The only hard part about antiquing is that The Mister and I couldn't believe some of the wares were truly antique shop worthy. You know, things like 8-track tapes and vinyl records.

The next picture is one of my husband having a "teachable moment" with the kids.

This is the first time my kids have ever seen a vinyl record.

As we set that record down and walked away The Girl asked, "Did you even have TV's when you were my age?"

Rotten kids.

Of course we had TV's when I was a kid! However, I did have to walk to the TV, barefoot, uphill both ways, just to change the channel.

There was so much to see and of course we had to try on every hat...

...and lay on every lounge.

She LOVED all these old couches.

Shopping worked up a good appetite so we took the kids to Barney's Cafe for lunch, followed by more shopping at the Emporium. To kill some time before checking into the cabin I picked up a latte at the coffee shop and the kids got milkshakes at the Mayberry Soda Fountain.

We also ran into the Barefoot Prophet. He was very nice and gave us great directions to the Post Office and told us that he had gone without shoes for 18 years. He said, "I'm known around here as the Barefoot Prophet. Do you take the internet? Cuz I'm on the YouTube. Just punch in 'The Barefoot Prophet" and you will see me there."

He was a very nice man. Wish I had taken his picture.

We finally made it the River Rhys Cabin, where I promptly put on a pot of coffee and set down for a spell.

It was a lovely little cabin with a warm and homey kitchen.

And a sweet little table that was perfect for our family of four...

Often we banished the kids to their loft...

So we could enjoy some peace and quiet of our own.

Of course we didn't spend too much time indoors...we spent a lot of time on the front porch watching the kids wrestle and sipping the local wine.

We played games. We have a tradition of playing Clue on vacation, and this year The Boy finally won!

We also had visitors. The neighborhood dogs came every morning to say hello, and our residential animal lover was in puppy heaven.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Hey all - this post was hastily written this morning...Its been a busy week, and its certain to get busier, so I'm going to post, lest I lose the last of my lingering readers. xoxo

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The bad news is that I'm sitting in the waiting room of the orthodontists office.

The good news is that they now have wi-fi!

My head is spinning with all the activity of last weekend. The Girl and I started with a Royal Wedding and then I shipped both babes out for a weekend of camps and fishing.

I have to admit that while I enjoyed time alone with The Mister, I suddenly realized we've come to the time we knew would come -- its just come too soon.

Who knew a decade ago, when I would have begged for a weekend sans kids, that there would come a day when having both kids gone for 48 hours would cause such heartburn.

The Mister and I were awesomely aware that this course of raising children is quickly running short. What seems like a marathon when the hospital-nurse hands you a bundle and sends you on your way is a sprint. Don't even try to catch your breath.

It's going too fast. I don't like it at all.

I guess I don't mind sitting in this waiting room as much as I thought. Because it means I've got kids in my nest and under my wing. Not to mention emptying my pocketbook.

I get asked (a lot) if spending all my time with the kids drives me crazy. "How can you homeschool and be with them all day long?" they ask...

The truth is we do have a lot of quantity time around these woods - and it isn't always peaches and cream. But quality is born of quantity...and even I'm surprised to realize I'm selfish enough to still want more.

I've only been a parent for 13 years. I'm still learning, but I know enough to understand I'm working myself out of a job.

As I enjoyed the blessing of an uninterrupted weekend with The Mister, I could easily see that soon it will be just him and me - every night a date night should we choose...and realized I don't regret one second of time spent with these kids.